Over the next five years, the pace of growth is expected to rise in Beer, Cider & FABs, and Wine, as developing markets become more important and volume declines in developed markets start to tail off. However, the Spirits market will grow more slowly in future than it did during 2006–2011. Volume growth across all main Alcoholic Beverage markets will be driven by consumers in the BRIC region, highlighting the continuing importance of this region.

Despite the focus on younger consumers, Older Consumers actually drink the most alcohol across almost all countries covered, accounting for a quarter of total alcohol consumption. This reflects the large size of this group relative to others in developed countries. The general focus on younger audiences, especially in countries like Brazil and India, means marketers often overlook targeting valuable older demographic groups.

There are substantial differences in age patterns of consumption by category. Beer and Spirits are somewhat demographically even, with consumption rates relatively similar across different age groups. In contrast, Wine is primarily an older person’s drink across the 10 major countries covered in the report.

Older Young Adults are a key age group in Beer and Spirits, accounting for the second largest volume share in the market. This is because they tend to have more disposable income than Early Young Adults, but fewer financial pressures than consumers in older age groups.